Keely Cat-Wells, CEO of Making Space

Disability Inclusion: Leveraging Tech to Create a New Talent Economy

In this episode of Disability Rights Now, we speak with Keely Cat-Wells—entrepreneur, advocate, and keynote speaker at this year’s NCIL Conference. Keely shares how she’s using technology to build more inclusive hiring pipelines, reshape outdated systems, and create new pathways to employment for people with disabilities. We talk about authentic representation, accessibility in media and business, and what it takes to create a truly inclusive talent economy.

You can learn more about Keely’s work at ⁠KeelyCatWells.com⁠ and by visiting her production company at ⁠https://www.makingspacemedia.com⁠.

Disability Rights Now is produced by ⁠DisabilityRightsPodcasts.org⁠, a service that helps advocacy organizations create story-driven podcasts and original web content. To learn more, visit the site or find Matt Shedd on LinkedIn.

• Transcript

  Keely Kat-Wells: One of the things that I've been very intentional about as we've been building the businesses and doing this work is positioning the disabled community—and disability and accessibility in general—not as charity, not as a cause people need to sympathize with, but as the investment that it is, as the opportunity that it is.

  Matt Shedd: Welcome to Disability Rights Now, inside the fight for accessibility, inclusion, and independent living.

  My name's Matt Shedd, and in this show, I speak with leaders in the disability rights field to explore what matters most right now—and what we need to be thinking about to shape a more equitable future.

  Today's episode is part of our NCIL Conference preview. The National Council on Independent Living’s annual conference is happening July 21st through the 24th in Washington, DC. In this special series, I'm talking with keynote speakers and organizers who are helping shape the future of the movement and will be appearing at this event.

  Our guest today is Keely Kat-Wells—entrepreneur, advocate, and founder of Making Space, a tech-enabled platform that connects professionals with disabilities with employment and upskilling opportunities across multiple industries.

  Keely shares her journey from experiencing workplace discrimination after acquiring her disability at 17, to becoming a business leader building scalable solutions that center people with disabilities.

  This podcast is produced by DisabilityRightsPodcasts.org, a service that helps Centers for Independent Living, Statewide Independent Living Councils, and other disability advocacy organizations launch strategic, story-driven podcasts.

  If your organization wants to use podcasting to build momentum and community, reach out to me, Matt Shedd, on LinkedIn or visit DisabilityRightsPodcasts.org.

  Alright, here's Keely.

  Matt: So could you just start by introducing yourself and providing a little background?

  Keely Kat-Wells: Yeah, for sure. Hi, I’m Keely Kat-Wells. I am the CEO and founder of Making Space. I acquired my disability when I was 17, and I moved to the U.S. about six—coming up on seven—years ago.

  When I first arrived in L.A., I wanted to find a path into the creative industries, which was my passion growing up. When I did get a job in the industry, I disclosed my disability to request accommodations. I was then told I could no longer have that job. That was a big wake-up call and a reality check that this isn’t just an isolated issue—it’s a consistent issue that millions of people face.
  
  So on the back of that, I founded a talent agency that represented disabled creatives. It was called C Talent—because as disabled people, we often don’t get access to Option A or Option B and have to create our own Option C.

  I ended up selling that business a few years ago and then founded Making Space. That’s the long-winded way of explaining how I got to building Making Space.

  Matt Shedd: Oh, that's wonderful. No, that was a great intro. That’s exactly what I had in mind.

  Could you tell me—are there any distinguishing factors between C Talent and Making Space?

  Keely Kat-Wells: Yeah, two main ones.

  C Talent was a traditional talent agency. We represented disabled content creators—actors, writers—and placed them in projects.

  After selling that business, I wanted to build something much more scalable and global, and across different sectors, to support the employment of disabled people more broadly—not just in the creative industries, but on a much bigger scale.

  So I started using technology. This is my first foray into tech, which has been a big learning curve.

  We built a talent and learning platform that connects disabled professionals not only with employment, but also with upskilling opportunities. We span multiple sectors—everything from tech to creative industries, healthcare, sales, education, and beyond.

  We’re also helping companies create more accessible and inclusive hiring practices and workplaces. All of this is done through the platform and technology we’ve built.
  
  We've also been building some AI to help disabled professionals turn their lived experiences of disability into transferable skills.

  And then the last thing we’ve been doing—a new part of Making Space—is our career development programs. We now have the pleasure of working with cohorts of disabled professionals, both on and off the platform, to support them in achieving their goals and gaining meaningful employment.

  Matt Shedd: I’m sure you could answer this in dozens of different ways, but can you give us a few examples of how AI and tech in general are helping you further this mission—and maybe what’s around the corner that we don’t even know about yet?

  Keely Kat-Wells: Great question. I know people have a lot of differing thoughts about AI, and there’s definitely a part of me that’s terrified—especially when it comes to the lack of governance around it.

  But I’m also incredibly excited about what AI can do for our community, for a few reasons.

  First and foremost, disabled people have been using versions of AI for much longer than non-disabled people. Think about assistive technology—speech-to-text, screen readers, and other tools we’ve used to navigate the world for a long time. In many ways, we have a strategic advantage when it comes to what the future of work needs.
  
  I read somewhere that “AI could be the new curb cut.” And I think it could be—if disabled people are in the room, in leadership positions, and are given the funding and opportunity to build, leverage, and develop it.

  Right now, there’s still a huge lack of accessibility in many of the applications where AI is being used. So we’re not there yet—but I think there’s real potential.

  Another thing we’re seeing: there’s this amazing stat that 71% of employers would rather hire people with AI-related skills than with traditional qualifications. That gives us a huge advantage too.

  So we’re very passionate about making sure disabled professionals get access to accessible upskilling in AI—and in the applications that employers are already adopting.

  Matt Shedd: Oh wow, that’s great. With the number of jobs already becoming obsolete—and more to come, especially if we reach artificial general intelligence—it's smart to have people at the helm of these tools. Not just to steer where it’s going, but to hopefully do it in more ethical ways too.

  Keely Kat-Wells: Yes, agreed.

  Matt Shedd: Can you also tell me a little about the platform you’ve built and what’s available through it?

  Keely Kat-Wells: Definitely. One of our goals was to democratize free and accessible education.

  If a disabled person signs up for Making Space today, they’ll get access to a library of upskilling content. Some of that content is employer-endorsed, meaning we built a system where, if an employer endorses a course, a disabled professional can complete it and be added to a pre-qualified hiring pipeline for that employer.

  That’s one part of the platform.

  Another part is the job board. We know how tedious and horrible the job search can be for disabled people—especially when trying to find remote work, which is a huge need in the community. So we curate remote, flexible positions and host those on the job board.

  We also feature roles from our partner employers, and we’re able to connect users directly with hiring managers. We try to give users more confidence in the employers they’re applying to.

  Every employer who uses Making Space goes through some form of disability and accessibility training for the hiring process.

  It’s not a perfect system, but we’re doing what we can to make sure employers are equipped with the education and tools to set disabled candidates up for success.

  Keely Kat-Wells: The other piece of the platform is community. We found that one of the most powerful things we have in the disability community is social capital.

  More and more people are getting jobs, funding, and opportunities not because they clicked "Apply" on a website, but because someone introduced them to the right person.

  So we’re also focused on helping people connect with each other—because that’s such a critical part of how opportunities are created.

  Matt Shedd: Oh wow, that’s wonderful. Part of my background is that I’ve worked with the Statewide Independent Living Council in Georgia for about four years. We do a lot of support and advocacy for the Centers for Independent Living across the state. And as you know, they focus heavily on career training and advocacy.

  So it makes me think about all the possibilities—these local centers seeing needs on the ground, and then getting connected to a platform like yours. It just sounds like a potentially game-changing tool for people who are overwhelmed and don’t even know where to start.

  Keely Kat-Wells: Yes, absolutely. And I’d say this to anyone listening who’s connected with their Center for Independent Living, grassroots organizations, or any local disability advocacy group—we’d love to partner. We’d love to support the community.

  That’s one of the biggest strengths we have as a community. We’re so good at connecting with each other, building community—and we want to make sure that translates into real opportunities and employment.

  So yes—I love that idea. And I’d love to follow up with you offline about how we could get involved with the work you’re doing in Georgia.
  
  Matt Shedd: Absolutely. I’d love that—and I’ll definitely keep you all in mind as we continue to do work in this area.

  Was there a moment for you when you knew, “Okay, I need to start my own agency”? You might’ve touched on it earlier, but does anything else come to mind?

  Keely Kat-Wells: Yeah, absolutely. And it’s interesting—when we tell our stories, they often sound very linear. But my journey has been anything but linear. It’s been a rollercoaster, full of learnings and failures.

  But I’d say one pivotal moment was experiencing ableism as soon as I came out of the hospital. I remember trying to figure out how to get medical supplies, knowing I’d need them for the rest of my life—and realizing the systems we’re supposed to rely on are completely broken.

  You can’t rely on them. You have to innovate and cultivate your own way through them.

  That’s when I realized traditional employment probably wasn’t going to be an option for me. And that became clearer over time.
  Keely Kat-Wells: Especially in L.A., in the entertainment industry, I’d go out for entry-level positions and be told I’d need to lift a certain amount of weight, drive a car, or work unbelievable hours.

  There was this constant prioritization of stamina over talent—and for someone with a chronic illness, that just wasn’t possible.

  That was definitely another moment where I realized: this system isn’t built for me.

  And then, on the other side of it—there was the joy of helping people get work. I remember when I was in the hospital, I was in such a dark place. A friend told me, “You have to get out of your pity pit. Figure out what you can give. What can you do?”

  It took me a while to figure it out, but I started helping some of my friends get jobs in the entertainment industry. And that joy—helping someone get work—that was a big moment of realization for me too.
  
  Keely Kat-Wells: So it all kind of came together—not in one big “aha” moment, but over time, when I was in L.A. I started thinking about building an agency. And honestly, I never really thought of it as “starting a business.” It was just: I’m going to help a bunch of disabled people get work.

  Then that turned into, “Maybe I could bring on someone else and train them to help represent disabled people too.” That led to another person, and then another. Eventually, I realized—okay, maybe this is a company.

  So yeah, it’s been anything but linear.

  Matt Shedd: Wow. Those are some amazing moments. Those are the sorts of things that really give us life as advocates.

  You’ve been named to Forbes 30 Under 30, worked with Netflix, given TEDx talks, spoken at the White House and the United Nations. With all that in mind, was there a moment in your public career when you realized—this could be really big? Like you’d tapped into something truly significant?

  Keely Kat-Wells: Thank you. I’ll say this too—I’m very lucky to get to work with Sophie Morgan on one part of our business, Making Space Media. Sophie’s the one who had the BAFTA nomination and gave the TEDx talk. She’s just such a phenomenal human.

  Together, I’d say we’re a pretty fierce pair.

  But honestly, I don’t think you always see the significance in the moment. Something Judy Heumann taught me—and she’s said this publicly, too—is that change doesn’t happen overnight. It doesn’t happen as fast as we want. It happens over time, over generations. Sometimes it’s really difficult to even know if what you’re doing is making an impact.

  So I try to celebrate the small wins.
  
  Keely Kat-Wells: One of the things I’ve been very intentional about, as we’ve been building the businesses and doing this work, is positioning.

  Positioning the disabled community—not as charity, not as a cause for sympathy—but as the investment that it is, the opportunity that it is.

  I think that reframing has been one of the pivotal things that’s helped us get into rooms and onto stages. It’s something people can grasp and have that lightbulb moment about.

  And while we talk a lot about the business case for disability inclusion—and that’s important—I’m also incredibly passionate about making sure we’re not just justifying our existence based on economic power alone.

  We have to center the civil rights and human rights perspective too. That part needs to be heard, seen, and recognized just as much.

  Matt Shedd: I mentioned earlier that I’ll be attending NCIL—National Council on Independent Living’s conference—in Washington, DC at the end of July, and you’re one of the keynote speakers.

  So I have two questions. First, could you give us a little preview of what you might be talking about in your remarks? I’d love to use this interview to help build some excitement for the event.

  And second—could you reflect on the importance of events like this one?

  Keely Kat-Wells: Yes, definitely. I’m so excited for the conference.

  And I’ll admit—I’ve been struggling to write this keynote.
  
  Keely Kat-Wells: I’m so used to giving keynotes and workshops to largely non-disabled audiences—people who aren’t super familiar with disability. That’s my usual crowd.

  But this is different. I’ll be speaking to our community—people who have blazed the trail, who have written and implemented the legislation we rely on, who have been doing this work for decades—probably longer than I’ve been alive.

  It’s an honor, but also kind of terrifying. I want to make sure whatever I say is actually helpful and productive, because I’m speaking to the legends in this space.

  So I think I’ll probably talk about generational change—how movements evolve over time, and how we can work together across generations. But don’t tell the team—I haven’t written it yet! It’s still a work in progress.

  Matt Shedd: Hopefully this episode comes out after you’ve written it, so they don’t panic.

  Keely Kat-Wells: Yes—agreed!

  Matt Shedd: And what are your thoughts about the value of attending conferences like NCIL? What can people get out of being there?

  Keely Kat-Wells: Oh—we need unity more than ever. We need our fellow disabled peers more than ever.

  We’re in such an unprecedented time—our rights, our visibility, everything is at risk. The more we can be together—plot, plan, organize, mobilize—the stronger we are. The more unified we are, the more impactful our change can be.
  
  Keely Kat-Wells: I’ve had the absolute honor of learning from Gloria Steinem—I was a fellow with her foundation—and something she often speaks about is the power of coming together in talking circles.

  The power of sharing stories, of sitting in a room with people who care about what you care about, who have shared lived experiences, and asking: What do we do next? How do we make the change we want to see?

  That’s what this space—the NCIL conference—will be.

  And the other important piece? Celebrating each other. We don’t do that enough. We’re so often in the trenches, fighting for every scrap we’re given, that we forget to take a step back and say: Wow. We’ve done a lot. And you all are amazing.

  So I’m really excited to be there and celebrate so many incredible people.

  Matt Shedd: That’s so well said. I think that about does it in terms of what I wanted to ask you. I want to be respectful of your time—but is there anything we didn’t touch on that you want to share?

  Keely Kat-Wells: I think I’d just say thank you. Thank you for the work you do, for the advocacy, and for having me.

  Matt Shedd: Oh, you’re so welcome. And thank you for taking the time to be here with us. I really appreciate it.

  Keely Kat-Wells: Of course. It’s an honor.